[This message has been cross-posted to multiple lists, please excuse the duplication.]


In November 2018, the Library of Congress announced plans to cancel “multiple” subdivisions from Library of Congress Subject Headings.  Individual authority records will be created for each valid, complete, heading string that was created based on a multiple subdivision and used in OCLC.

Creation of new authority records and cancellation of the authority records for individual multiple subdivisions will begin in May 2019.  It is anticipated that the initial distribution of records to MARC Distribution Service Subject‐Authorities subscribers will occur on May 6, 2019, and consist of at least 1,400 records.

The authority records for headings that were authorized by a multiple subdivision will be distributed simultaneously with the cancellation of the record for the multiple.  For example, records for Bashfulness-Religious aspects-Christianity and Bashfulness-Religious aspects-Islam will be distributed at the same time that Bashfulness-Religious aspects-Buddhism, [Christianity, etc.] is cancelled.

Beginning in May, the continued existence of a multiple subdivision for a particular topic cannot be assumed. It is therefore imperative that LCSH be searched at all times, in order to determine whether the multiple has been cancelled.  Catalogers may remember the multiples Birth control-Religious aspects-Buddhism, [Christianity, etc.] and Birth control-Religious aspects-Baptists, [Catholic Church, etc.], for example, but they will be cancelled in May and be replaced by 20 individual authority records.  If the heading that is needed for a resource is not specifically authorized, it must be proposed.

PSD will inform the community of its progress on the project by updating the spreadsheet that can be found on the Multiples Cancellation website (http://www.loc.gov/aba/cataloging/subject/multiplescancellationproject.html).  The spreadsheet lists all of the authority records that will be cancelled.  The records are organized by MARC tag (with each tag comprising a worksheet) and alphabetically within the tag.  As each record is cancelled, its date of cancellation will be indicated in the “processed” column.  The project will not proceed alphabetically, so those wishing to update their local catalogs are encouraged to download the spreadsheet periodically and sort it by the date in the “processed” column.

Questions about this project may be addressed to Janis L. Young at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.


Janis L. Young
Policy and Standards Division
Library of Congress